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Laika, space dog

Telstar LogisticsIn 1957, Laika the dog became the first living creature to orbit the Earth when Soviet scientists launched the canine into orbit aboard a hastily built Sputnik 2 space capsule.

We mentioned yesterday that the growing season for the five boroughs of New York City began Sunday. For the suburbs around the city, it doesn't begin until this coming Sunday, so if you hear of any frost advisories this week, that's why. Just clarifying.

The region was hard-pressed to come up with any frost last night, not because it wasn't cold --- it was --- but because our atmosphere is so dry this week. We're looking at another mostly sunny day today, with temperatures rising a little bit above yesterday's, to a high of 58.

While this weather pattern is a quiet one for us, it's worth nothing that a storm is brewing just off the coast to our southeast. It's hardly a big storm, and we won't see any rain from it.

In fact, our being on the northwestern edge of its circulation assures even drier conditions for us as we'll fall under its subsidence zone. Subsiding air is falling air, and air dries as it falls.

With the quiet weather, you can expect us to roam far and wide for other topics to explore. You may recall that late last week we mentioned Yuri's Night, a worldwide celebration of the first man in space, the Soviet Yuri Gargarin on April 12, 1961. Apparently Yuri's Night is kind of a big deal; we had no idea.

Well, also within the past week the Russians paid homage to another space hero --- Laika, the space dog. A monument was unveiled to Laika in Moscow in honor of the first dog in outer space.

The Soviets sent a handful of dogs into space before they dared send a human, given its danger, and they were all strays, since scientists felt they had a better chance of survival. They didn't; Laika died from heat exposure a few hours into his flight. This was on Oct. 4, 1957. You can read more about Laika here.

Yesterday's extreme temperatures in the contiguous United States --- High: 104 at Death Valley, Calif.; Low: 5 at Land O'Lakes, Wis.